Bill Bright was an American Evangelist best known for founding Campus Crusade for Christ, a ministry for University students that spread across the country and world. He is also known for writing the famous tract The Four Spiritual Laws.
To illustrate a Christ-centered life, he would say that everyone is sitting in one of three chairs.
Chair #1: You are siting on the throne of your life. You are in charge and God is not even in your sphere of awareness nor influence.
Chair #2: You acknowledge God and may even consider yourself a believer, yet you have not surrendered control of your life to Him.
Chair #3: You realize that you cannot be Lord over your own life. You need God to take control and guide you. You understand that to fully have peace in life is to surrender every area over to the LORDSHIP of Christ.
When you take the risk to sit in the third seat something amazing happens, God brings your world into alignment and you enjoy the power and peace of His Presence – His Holy Spirit. This is what God wants for each of us.
Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus gave His final words to His disciples as He prepared to ascend back to His Heavenly throne.
Jesus said,” But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth: (Acts 1:8, CSB).
Now, Who is this Holy Spirit? He is the very spirit of the Living God and He enters your life the very moment you truly surrender to Christ.
- He is the one who convicts you of sin and enlightens you to your need for Christ (John 16: 7-9)..
- He opens your understanding toward God and His Word (John 14:26; 1 Cor 2: 1-16).
- He is responsible for giving you a spiritual rebirth (John 3: 5-8; 1 Cor 12:13). .
- When you receive Christ as LORD of your life, He is the one who seals your adoption into His family of God (Ephesians 1: 13).
- He is the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and He moves into the life of the follower of Jesus and empowers you to Put your Faith in Action with Gifts and Fruit produced from His Presence in your life (Romans 8: 10-12).
Unfortunately, not every follower of Jesus is enjoying the Power and the Peace of His Presence because they are not living under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
A Pastor, Author and Theologian of the early 20th century, A. W. Tozer before his death in 1963 said,
“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”
Researcher George Barna confirms Tozer’s statement with some frightening data from his research, Barna reports,
“Nearly 60% of Americans who regularly attend Christian church say there is no such thing as the Holy Spirit—they say the Holy Spirit is just a symbol of God’s power or presence or purity.”
Well listen to me, He is not just a symbol of God’s power, He is God. In Deuteronomy 6:4 we read, “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” He is ONE GOD, but His name is in Plural Form. One God who presents Himself to us in 3 distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
John 14: 17, He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.
John 14: 23, Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (Notice the Plural form)…
So what are some ways we can Position ourselves to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit’s Presence?
- Position yourself in COMMUNION with GOD and other CHRIST FOLLOWERS.
Look at what these early disciples did after they received Jesus’ instructions.
Acts 1: 12- 14, Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
The first action these early disciples embarked upon after Jesus ascended was to go gather in a room together and pray for the power of His Presence.
The writer of Hebrews encouraged all believers to make a habit of gathering together.
Hebrews 10: 24-25, And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
- Position yourself by LOOKING into God’s WORD.
Notice that while in the room praying and encouraging one another, Peter began to remind them of God’s Word.
Acts 1: 15-16, 20, In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters—the number of people who were together was about a hundred twenty—and said, 16 “Brothers and sisters, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David foretold about Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
Vs. 20, “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and Let someone else take his position.”
Peter applied the Word of God to their present situation. This is vitally important. We must not simply read the Scriptures but also apply the timeless principles to our lives.
It is in God’s Word that we find Wisdom, Strength, Comfort, Conviction, Hope, Direction and Peace. Whatever you are going through, go to God’s Word for wisdom, strength and direction.
In fact, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will use the Scriptures to teach us to Hear the voice of God.
John 14:26, But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
- Position yourself through Obedience to God.
As Peter proclaimed the Scriptures, then the disciples acted upon them.
Acts 1: 21-26, “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “You, Lord, know everyone’s hearts; show which of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles.
When we take God at His Word and follow His teaching, we are declaring through our actions that we trust God and are allowing Him to be in control. In essence, we move off the throne of our lives and let God take His rightful position.
Let’s sum it up like this…
The Big Take-Away: Proper POSITION aligns you for your PURPOSE.
What is that proper position? It is a life completely surrendered to the LORD. A life that surrounds themself with God’s people…..is growing in God’s Word and is Obeying what the LORD says.
“When we have the Holy Spirit we have all that is needed to be all that God desires us to be.” ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer
Pursuing Truth with Chris Vaught 